CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. is expanding its private label portfolio with a new Hispanic-inspired brand.

Kroger Mercado includes more than 50 items across several categories. Products now available under the label include queso fresco and queso panela, Oaxaca cheese balls, ready-to-cook flour tortillas, chorizo ground sausage, thin sliced beef strip steak, pork stew meat and more.

Plans for the brand include fresh meat, beverages, snacks, sides and desserts. The brand also includes a range of core Hispanic ingredients to help consumers create a variety of authentic Latin American meals.

“Kroger Mercado embraces Hispanic culinary heritage with the quality and innovation our customers have come to know and expect from Our Brands (Kroger’s private label business unit),” said Juan De Paoli, vice president of Our Brands at Kroger. “We are thrilled to offer authentic products that are accessible and exceptional in quality, creating a brand that fills a void for some customers and creates a cultural experience for others.”

Kroger Mercado joins the company’s Our Brands lineup alongside private labels such as Private Selection, Simple Truth and Smart Way, an opening price point brand that debuted last year.